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Nothing going for Canada in loss to Finland

Team Canada goaltender Zachery Fucale grimaces as Finland forward Jori Nikko scores in second period semi-final action at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, January 4, 2014.

Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Frank Gunn
, Postmedia News

MALMO, Sweden – Canadian captain Scott Laughton was asked what went wrong after his team’s 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal of the world junior championship.

His response summed up the effort succinctly.

“Pretty much everything,” he said.

“From penalties to neutral zone play to turnovers, we just got beat. We got beat fair and square. It’s not like we deserved to win tonight.”

Murphy’s Law, self-imposed or otherwise, was in full effect against the Finns on Saturday.

As a result, Canada extended its gold medal drought to five years. It is the third-straight tournament Canada will play for bronze, which it will do against Russia again.

The Russians, who beat Canada in overtime last year, lost 2-1 to Sweden in the other semifinal on Saturday.

“The whole night it just seemed like we froze in the moment,” Canadian head coach Brent Sutter said. “We never executed our game plan.”

Things really came unravelled for Canada in the second.

Canada allowed the opening goal 4:19 into the period in the oddest of fashions.

Finnish defenceman Julius Honka tried to rim a shoot-in around the boards. However, the puck bounced in the corner to the front of the Canadian net.

Joni Nikko got there first before Canadians Mathew Dumba or Frederik Gauther could.

Goaltender Zach Fucale barely realized where the puck was before it was behind him.

“I should have had my eyes on it the whole way,” Fucale said. “I just anticipated it going to the other side.

“I had something to do on that play that I should have done. It’s a little tough to swallow.”

The next two Finnish goals came immediately after great stops by Fucale.

Fucale stopped a redirection by Saku Maenalanen on a Finnish power play, but Artturi Lehtonen cleaned up the mess in front.

Jonathan Drouin closed the gap to within in one for Canada, but Rasmus Ristolainen restored Finland’s two-goal lead.

Ristolainen’s marker came seconds after Fucale dove back to rob Otto Rauhala of an open-net chance following a three-way passing play. It will likely be the save of the tournament.

Canada also took two 10-minute misconduct penalties in the second.

Nic Petan was called for abuse of an official, while Drouin was called for checking to the head.

“It’s tough when two of your best players get 10-minute misconducts, and two of your centremen,” Laughton said. “We were short there. I didn’t really see Drouin’s play. It’s tight in the IIHF.”

It was Drouin’s second such penalty of the tournament. He was called for that infraction in the preliminary round against Slovakia.

Topi Nattinen, Drouin’s intended target, appeared to crouch as the Canadian centre tried to check him on Saturday.

“That’s a bad call,” Drouin said. “That’s it.”

Things went from bad to worse on a night Sutter said, “It just wasn’t meant to be here.”

The Canadians’ play grew increasingly individualistic as they tried to break through the Finnish trap.

“Mentally we weren’t where we needed to be for this game tonight for whatever reason,” Sutter said. “We had a good game plan going in.”

To top off the scoring, Teuvo Teravainen scored on a penalty shot with 3:12 remaining.

Canadian defenceman Derrick Pouliot hauled down Henrik Haapala on a breakaway. But the shot was given to Teravainen after Haapala seemed to indicate he was too hurt to shoot.

Teravainen then scored into an empty net in the final minute. His three points on Sunday give him 12 in the tournament, Swede Filip Forsberg for most in the event.

The Finns are playing for gold for the first time since winning in 1998.

They finished a disappointing seventh last year in Ufa, Russia.

Saturday’s result guarantees Finland will bring home a medal for the first time since winning bronze in 2006.

“It’s huge,” Teravainen said. “Last medal was seven years. We’re just so happy right now.”

They were full marks for their effort on Saturday.

The Finns spoke with cautious optimism about the prospects of beating Canada before the game.

Their coach, Karri Kivi, said, “I have all the information I need.”

They sure played like it as they defeated Canada at the tournament for the first time since 2002 and for just the eighth time in 36 all-time meetings.

“Every guy was ready to play,” Teravainen said.

The Canadians were not.

They outshot the Finns 24-23, but didn’t have most of better scoring chances. They were also 0-for-5 on the power play.

There is a lot to improve on for Sunday’s game.

A loss and Canada fails to win a medal in consecutive years for the first time since a three-year drought from 1979 to 1981 – before the creation of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.

“I’m confident in the team that we’re going to be ready tomorrow morning,” Fucale said. “I’m confident in this team to regroup, come back together and play our best game here.”

Team Canada goaltender Zachery Fucale grimaces as Finland forward Jori Nikko scores in second period semi-final action at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Malmo, Sweden on Saturday, January 4, 2014.

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